A Lifetime to Forget
by gotz-sk
Summary: They say time heals all wounds but can it mend a heart shattered beyond repair? Rated M for violence, coarse language, and implied adult themes
1. PHASE1

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED or any characters in the show

PHASE-1

Space, a vast expanse of nothingness. A peaceful quiet that extended to the far reaches. However, today the quiet was broken during an epic battle between the Archangel, The Earth Alliance, and Zaft forces. Alongside the Archangel fought the Eternal and the Kusanagi. Escape was completely blocked off as both Zaft and the EA were targeting the Archangel and its allies. The pop princess of Zaft Lacus Clyne suggested breaking through the Zaft forces to escape. Together, with the Kusanagi, they fired upon the Vesalius and though they were able to severely cripple the Nazca class, it was not sufficient to destroy it.

"Shit!" Andrew Bartfeldt cursed. The Eternal and Kusanagi were in real trouble now as they were caught in the fire of all three Zaft ships. The ship rocked violently from the massive beating it was receiving.

"Prepare the main cannon for firing" ordered the captain of the Vesalius. Aim for the Eternal.

Massive amounts of energy began to draw towards the beam cannon as it prepared to fire.

Meanwhile, aboard the Eternal, Bartfeldt was saying his goodbyes to the Archangel and the Kusanagi. Lacus tried to say goodbye to Kira but the young pilot wouldn't listen. His rage caused his SEED to activate and he pushed the Freedom towards the Vesalius desperately trying to save the girl he had fallen in love with. His efforts were futile as the beam began to fire.

Everyone aboard the Eternal closed their eyes and waited for what seemed to be certain death but it never came…

As everyone opened their eyes, a picture of an unknown gundam could be seen standing in front of a decimated Vesalius. The beam cannon was cut in half and there was a large gash where the left stabilizer was once connected. With amazing speed, the unknown mobile suit proceeded to destroy the other two Nazca classes with amazing ease.

Next, it turned its attention to the dominion. In the blink of an eye, it changed direction and sped towards the Agamemnon class.

"Fire Variants and Helldarts! Stop that mobile suit!" Ordered Captain. Badgiruel.

It was all futile as the gundam knocked out both of the Dominion's Lohengrin beam cannons.

Before it could destroy the new EA cruiser, the Archangel managed to contact the pilot of the unknown gundam via the international frequency.

"This is Captain Ramius of the Archangel. Are you a friend or foe?"

"I'm neither at the moment" responded the pilot

"Kid you got guts" Added Bartfeldt. "You really saved our asses"

"Heh I'm a mercenary so don't expect me to be some charitable son of a bitch."

"I'm sorry but all we can offer at the moment is dockage on our ship." Tried Ramius.

"Too bad then" Replied the pilot. "I'm just gonna have to destroy the three of you as well"

"Wait!" Came a sweet and melodious voice.

Inside the unknown mobile suit, the pilot was shocked as he realized who was talking.

"I will pay your price if you join us in our cause" continued the voice.

"I-Is that Lacus Clyne?" asked the pilot.

"Yes" replied the young girl.

"In that case there is no need for any payment" answered the pilot. "What do you want me to do?"

"Currently, we are fighting against both the Zaft and EA forces in order to put an end to the war." Briefed Lacus.

"End the war huh. That's gonna put me out of a job" Came the response.

"You can still join the military" suggested Ramius.

"I will not join the EA or Zaft for my own reasons"

"Listen why don't we talk more on the Eternal?" asked Lacus.

"Fine" came the reply "Where do I dock?"

"You may proceed to land on catapult 1" Bardfeldt stated.

"What do you think Athrun?" Inquired Kira.

"I must admit he is highly skilled and we didn't even detect him coming. I don't know how he did it but we really could use that kind of strength in our ranks." Replied the former Zaft member.

"I say we should test him out and see if he's really what you say" added Dearka, as he joined the other two pilots in the hangar.

"Let's leave that for another day Dearka" chuckled Kira as he made his way to the elevator.

As they got up to the bridge of the Eternal, they could see that the three captains and the higher ranking officers were all crowding around the monitor as the unknown pilot was searched for weapons and the like. They found two Heckler and Koch 45. calibre pistols tucked into his jacket as well as eighteen throwing knives strapped to a belt around his waist. To complete the entourage, they removed a wo dao and a long metal pole strapped to his back. The entire scene would have been funny if not for the pilot rolling up his sleeves and producing retractable tactical knives hidden under his wrists. The message was clear that he was not one to be taken lightly.

As the elevator shaft opened, the pilot walked in with two soldiers walking behind him in case he tried anything.

He was quite an impressive piece of work with a well built body. His eyes were a deep amber colour and his black hair was straight and smooth. His face was perfect with no oddities of any kind.

He began to unbutton his collar and as he did so an expensive chain fell out from inside his suit. Lacus almost squealed in delight as she rushed to hug the stranger. Everyone inside the bridegroom was extremely surprised at Lacus' attitude. Kira felt a slight pang of jealousy but it quickly disappeared as he remembered what Lacus had said to him before the battle they had just survived.

"It's been a long time Rhekka" Lacus said.

"Hmph" Came the answer.

"How did you get to know the kid Lacus?" Asked Bardfeldt.

"Does anyone remember the assassination attempt a year and a half ago?"

"Yeah I remember it was a terrorist organisation that demanded payment. Everyone ignored them so they tried to assassinate you to prove their point." Answered Ramius.

"Yes well I would have died had he not broken through security and stepped in front of the bullet"

"I visited him every day until he was better but he disappeared once he was released from emergency. The day before he was released, I gave him that locket with an autographed picture inside."

"Well that settles that" concluded Ramius "Let's all get some rest for now"


	2. PHASE2

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED cuz then I'd be loaded

PHASE-2

The Dominion and the Archangel were evenly matched and yet Azrael was relentless in his attacks. Even Natarle began to doubt his actual ability as a commander but she did not openly object merely clenching her fists as he sent more and more of their soldiers to die. All three prototype mobile suits were losing power fast and so she ordered the retreat unsure of their ability to continue fighting against the Justice and the fairly large squadron of M1-Astrays in the Orb military.

The Vesalius and Helldarling had been firing at the Eternal with all that they had and yet every time they were about to score a hit, the beam was simply absorbed. Frustrated, Aides ordered another squadron of GINNs to be launched. Unfortunately, just as soon as they left the hangar, one was destroyed by a mysterious mobile suit that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Even the enemy seemed to be surprised at its sudden appearance but Aides didn't have much time to ponder as the unknown enemy destroyed the rest of the GINNs. Everyone on the Vesalius gasped as the mobile suit headed straight for the bridge. However, with extraordinary maneuverability, the mobile suit dove under the Vesalius and stuck its beam sabre in the hull dragging it until the gash was well over 30 ft long. Athrun and Dearka gave the ZAFT salute as the Vesalius exploded in a brilliant ball of flame.

"All units retreat!" ordered the captain of the Helldarling suddenly ware of the dangerous situation they were in.

"Shit" Yzak swore as he returned with Rau's crippled CGUE.

Meanwhile, the Archangel, Kusanagi, and Eternal had regrouped and headed off to find another hiding place to watch for the next attack from either PLANT or the EAF.

"Athrun, are you all right?" Kira asked feeling partially sick that he couldn't protect Flay.

"I'm more interested in that mobile suit that saved Lacus and the crew of the Eternal" Athrun murmured his attention focused on the pilot emerging from the cockpit. However, instead of using the lowering cable, the pilot merely jumped down onto the foot of his mobile suit without much effort. He headed to the elevator and was joined by Athrun and Kira who escorted him to the bridge of the pink warship. Silence ensued during the entire trip to the bridge and it followed them all the way in. No one made a move, too intent on checking out the new pilot. Everyone from the Kusanagi and Archangel were there and yet not one made a noise as their eyes ran up and down his body. The pilot was rather tall being 6"1 with long black hair that fell to his hips. His strong physique was distinguishable yet plain unlike the men who beefed up their abs in the gyms. There was a certain aura about him that almost allured the women in the room making Murrue, Miriallia, and Cagalli a bit woozy. Lacus was unfazed however and seemed to be used to the feeling. Finally, the pilot broke the ice and all ears were on him.

"General Rhekka Andrews of the Clyne faction" he stated simply followed with a military salute. Kisaka, Murrue, and Bartfeldt followed suit although the ZAFT captain was a bit uneasy in his salute.

"Rhekka has been with me since my childhood and he has always supported me every step of the way" Lacus put in making Rhekka scratch his head in embarrassment.

"If you don't mind my asking, would you happen to be the same Rhekka that test piloted every ZAFT prototype up until the war started?" Bartfeldt asked, a hint of humility in his voice in place of his usual attitude.

"Yeah that was me" answered Rhekka surprised that anyone cared who test piloted the prototypes.

"You're considered the best pilot to have ever joined ZAFT and the supreme council was pretty pissed when you left"

"I had my reasons for leaving" Rhekka said as he looked at Lacus then turned away slowly.

"I've never seen such a fast mobile suit and your manoeuvrability is incredible" Kira piped up eager to learn more about Rhekka's mobile suit.

"I made it myself from my own designs and my own materials"

"Why don't you discuss this later" Murrue said as she yawned "Personally I'm just too tired after that battle.

"I think Murrue has a point and it would be good to catch a little shuteye" Andrew said.

Everyone began to pile into the elevators and went back to their respective ships for a few hours of well deserved sleep. Kira and Athrun went to find Dearka for some male bonding time while Cagalli and Miriallia traded advice on making men bow down before their feet.

"Lacus can I talk to you for a second?" Rhekka asked.

"Actually there was something I wanted to ask you as well" the young girl replied.

"Well ladies first"

"Why did you leave?"

"I felt that you needed some privacy with Athrun"

"I don't think that was the case Rhekka"

"Well then explain to me why I left" Rhekka said a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Were you jealous Rhekka?" Lacus asked.

The black haired pilot just looked at her innocent face and modest but attractive figure and realized he couldn't lie to her even if he wanted to.

"When you rescued me from that hellhouse, I thought you were an angel sent from heaven and when you never stopped trying to be friends with me I began too feel like a person. You showed me what life could be like but when I heard that you were engaged to Athrun, I was afraid I would do something I would regret so I left."

Smiling, Lacus leaned over and kissed Rhekka on the cheek before she leaned up to his ear and whispered "Thank you for saving us Rhekka" then just as quickly, she turned and left him wondering what she had truly done to him.


	3. PHASE3

Disclaimer: I do not own gundam seed……………………….there I said it

PHASE-3

"Oi wait up!" Dearka shouted as Miriallia stormed down the hall. The clumsy coordinator had been trying to cheer up the young girl and to his dismay, had upset her even more. A part of him was telling him he was going suicidal if he continued to follow her but another part of him told him to help her no matter the consequences. Choosing the latter, the blonde haired boy ran down the hall desperately looking for Miriallia. Finally, after searching for almost an hour, he gave a sigh of defeat and returned to his quarters to sulk.

Meanwhile, Miriallia burst into Cagalli's room in a flurry of tears, her shoulders arching every time she sobbed. The brunette slowly began to quiet down until she began heaving for breath. Seeing that she was sufficiently calmed down, Cagalli tried to comfort Miriallia.

"There, there… what happened Mir?"

"D-Dearka was talking about his family and for a split second, I thought he was Tolle. I blanked out and when I woke up Dearka was holding me just like Tolle used to. Then he started telling me Tolle was dead and that was when I hit him and ran out of the room."

"Wow" whistled Cagalli "Why did you hit Dearka?"

"Because he was…he was trying to…"

"Trying to help you Mir?" finished Cagalli. "And you simply pushed him away when all he was trying to do was cheer you up. And to top it off, you struck him across his face, hard if I'm not mistaken."

"Oh god, I've been such a bitch" Miriallia whimpered not wanting to accept the blatant truth. "All this time Dearka was trying to ease my pain while I just wallowed in my misery and I used him like a punching bag to ease my stress. Do you think he'll forgive me Cagalli?" Miriallia asked not wanting to think of Dearka's reaction.

"After the way you just treated him I wouldn't expect much" Cagalli stated "Nonetheless, you owe him an apology and it's up to him whether he accepts it or not."

"Yeah, I guess you're right" Miriallia sighed as she turned to leave the room.

"Good Luck!" Cagalli called out at the retreating form of her friend.

Miriallia slowly pulled up to Dearka's room and raised her hand to knock on the door when she noticed that the coordinator hadn't locked the door. Slowly she turned the handle and entered the darkened room. Looking around quickly, she turned to leave when she heard a slight moan come from the corner of the room. Turning around, she found Dearka sprawled across his bed like a bearskin rug tossing and turning until the bed covers were everywhere but on him. Slowly, Miriallia sat on the bed so as not to disturb him and moved his head so that he was resting on her lap. As the hours flew by, Miriallia could not turn away from Dearka's handsome face. Always wearing his signature smirk, Miriallia rarely got to see him genuinely smile but when he did, she felt like a queen. Slowly stroking his wavy blond hair, the brunette soon fell asleep as well, drifting off into land of dreams.

Meanwhile…

Cagalli looked up as Athrun entered her room smiling.

"I think we should go visit Kira don't you think Cagalli?" The blue haired boy started.

"I agree, he must be exhausted after what happened at Mendel"

The two quickly made their way to Kira's quarters where Lacus was already taking care of the young man.

Slowly, Kira opened his eyes and the first person he saw was Fllay, the girl he was supposed to protect. He turned away not wanting to remember and when he turned back he realized that it was actually Lacus who was with him. Looking past the pink haired girl, he saw Athrun and Cagalli looking at him worriedly. Slowly, Cagalli looked down and following her train of sight, Kira saw that she was holding two pictures in her hand. Suddenly, he remembered and the sorrow overwhelmed him. Painfully, he fought away the tears not wanting to look weak in front of his friends. Realizing Kira needed to be alone, Athrun pulled Cagalli away and the pair left the room.

Just outside the door, Rhekka quickly pulled away as Athrun and Cagalli exited Kira's room. It was obvious the two were worried and so Rhekka let them be, waiting until they left so that he could continue observing the man Lacus was so worried over. From the small glass window, Rhekka saw Kira double over in tears as Lacus put her arms around him and comforted him. Strangely enough, Rhekka felt no jealousy or anger. In fact, he was glad that Lacus had finally found someone who was as emotional as herself. Rhekka slowly walked away and returned to his quarters where he jus sat down and reminisced.

"_Hi there! Wanna play?" the pink haired girl asked._

"_Does it look like I do?" he responded sarcastically._

"_Yup!" smiled the girl unfazed by his blatant sarcasm._

"_Why don't you go and piss someone else off?"_

"_Because you're lonely"_

"_Look will you stop bothering me if I play with you?"_

"_Mayyybe" giggled the little girl._

"_Fine"_

_And yet, she didn't leave him alone. Instead, every day, the little girl bothered him until he agreed to play with her. As time passed, the young boy began to look forward to her daily visits. Almost a year passed by and suddenly, the girl stopped coming. Sometimes he would wait at the gate to see if she would come but his efforts were fruitless. He tried to remember all the good times and he realized he didn't even know her name. After almost two weeks of sulking, the girl came back just as happy as ever and even more excited to see her friend. Looking up, the young boy realized she had brought someone along with her. A few minutes later, he was leaving the orphanage beside the little girl who was even more giddy than himself. He looked up to the sky and gave a short word of thanks for this little angel who rescued him._

Rhekka smirked as he remembered that day. He had been freed from the orphanage and it's so called sisters. Although the nurses there were catholic, they had branded him a devil child. It soon became a known fact among the orphans that you could get caught doing any mischief and simply blame it on Rhekka. You would be instantly pardoned and the devil child would get whipped for practicing acts of evil. On many occasions, Rhekka would be under the watch of a nurse and another would come in blaming him for some trouble caused by another infant. The other nurse would then immediately agree and make up a false story about him running off while she was knocked out from some evil concoction. Truth be told, the fat bitch had simply fallen asleep but no one believed him because he was different. He was stronger, more alert, and more capable of things that most adult athletes couldn't do. He was more than just a coordinator and yet only he knew it.

Dearka groggily turned over as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He had slept very well because his pillow had gotten warmer and much more comfortable. It also smelled of a certain someone that made his heart turn circles every time she talked. Suddenly realizing that all of these factors were more than just coincidence, the young man shot up and stared straight into the face of an embarrassed Miriallia.

"W-what are you doing here Miriallia? How long have you been here?" asked the bewildered young man.

"I came to apologize for my behaviour yesterday and I got here last night. You looked so peaceful that I didn't want to wake you" she responded.

"Apologize for what Miriallia?" Dearka asked.

"For hitting you yesterday" Miriallia responded, her head hung down in shame.

Suddenly, she felt a hand lift her chin up till she was level with Dearka's face.

"Listen Miriallia, I don't care if you hit me, or laugh at me, or use me as a rebound because it won't change the way I feel about you. I know that I won't replace Tolle and I probably never will but just being around you is like a privilege that I cherish every day of my life"

"Oh Dearka" Miriallia said as she leaned into him, crying into his shoulder. Tears still streaming down her face, she kissed him forcefully on the lips unleashing all the passion raging inside her. Never in her life had she ever loved anyone with this much ferocity and this much feeling. She had loved Tolle as someone who cared for her more than a friend but she could have lived without him. Dearka was the exact opposite because she needed his lame jokes and she needed that cocky smirk to remind her that all was right with the world. He made her feel safe and protected from all harm. He made her feel…complete.


End file.
